Reggie White

Driving to Rancho Mirage in the rain Tuesday, I wasn't overjoyed with my assignment to hear Reggie White speak. I couldn't imagine what else he had to say. But as I approached Dinah Shore Drive, it dawned on me that I was as guilty of judging White as I believed he had been of judging homosexuals and various racial and ethnic groups in his controversial comments to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Many pegged Russell White for a dummy. They assumed that, academically, the great running back from Encino Crespi High wouldn't cut it at California. Even White had his doubts when he arrived on the Berkeley campus in 1989 after one of the most celebrated careers in Southland high school football history. "When I came home for Christmas break my first semester, I didn't want to go back," he says.

Green Bay Packer defensive star Reggie White, speaking to high school students in Knoxville, Tenn., said that police provoke young black men to put them behind bars. White also said he believes in a conspiracy to prevent a cure for AIDS and to promote practices that lead to abortions and fetal-tissue research, the Knoxville News-Sentinel reported in Saturday's editions. "There's a lot of focus on you all and a lot of that focus is on [putting] you in jail.

The glory of the newest Hall of Famers' achievements was punctuated by a steady stream of tears and a singular chant: "Reg-gie, Reg-gie." Although a fair share of the crowd sported No. 8 jerseys in tribute to Troy Aikman, their passion Saturday was reserved for the late Reggie White. The two joined Warren Moon, John Madden, Rayfield Wright and Harry Carson as the newest inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Reggie White, one of the NFL's fiercest players on the field and one of the most devoted humanitarians off it, died Sunday in Cornelius, N.C., his wife said. He was 43. The cause of death was not immediately known, but a family spokesman said White had suffered from a respiratory ailment for several years that affected his sleep. White died at Presbyterian Hospital, where he was taken after his wife called 911. An autopsy is planned.

Just when the Green Bay Packers start looking like a formidable playoff contender, they lose Reggie White. The blow came Wednesday when White, the NFL's all-time sack leader, was declared out for the season because of a hamstring injury that requires surgery. "He was having a great year and now it's over," Coach Mike Holmgren said.

Reggie White is trying to solve a mystery. The former U.S. Football League standout defensive end is beginning to show the wear-and-tear of playing football for 16 of the last 24 months and he's not sure why. "Out of the last two years, I've been playing football for 16 months," he said. "I don't know if it's my body not responding or if it's me. I hope something happens in the next few weeks because I need the strength." White, who signed with the Eagles Sept.

Defensive end Reggie White said he will play another year for the Green Bay Packers, regardless of whether the team wins the Super Bowl, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Saturday. "I'm coming back," he said in an interview with the newspaper. "I'm going to play another year." White has been to the Pro Bowl 12 times and is the NFL's career sack leader. The speculation that White would retire began after the Packers' 41-38 loss at Indianapolis on Nov. 16.

In a change described as "nothing short of miraculous," Reggie White returned to the practice field Thursday and showed the Green Bay Packers he doesn't need season-ending hamstring surgery after all. A day after the Packers said White, the NFL's all-time sack leader, would be lost for the rest of the season and the playoffs, the team said next week's surgery has been canceled--and he's listed as questionable for Saturday's game at New Orleans.

The TV news crew's lights flashed on as soon as Reggie White strode to the pulpit of a packed Baptist church in North Philadelphia. Curiosity had attracted perhaps a third of those in attendance, but White's All-Pro status as a defensive end with the Philadelphia Eagles mattered little to the rest of the congregation, some of whom might have assumed that he was using the appearance to further his career. Five minutes into White's sermon, he had the congregation in the palm of his hand.

To the cheers and chants of "Reggie," the "Minister of Defense" now has his name above the NFL's most famous cathedral. The Green Bay Packers retired the fifth number in club history -- Reggie White's No. 92 -- at halftime of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field. "He gave himself to Green Bay and Green Bay showed its love to him and his family," said White's widow, Sara.

NFL great Reggie White may have died because of a respiratory disease combined with other health problems, a preliminary autopsy report said Monday. White most likely had a condition that affected the amount of air his lungs could hold, resulting in "fatal cardiac arrhythmia" -- irregular heartbeat -- said Mike Sullivan, the medical examiner for Mecklenburg County. The report issued by Sullivan's office also said sleep apnea may have been a factor.

Reggie White was fond of saying God told him to go to Green Bay in 1993 to sack sin and quarterbacks. White was the first big-time free agent to switch teams, shocking many when he left the Philadelphia Eagles and picked the Packers over San Francisco. Not only did "The Minister of Defense" help restore the glory to Green Bay, but he proved to other players, particularly blacks, that Wisconsin wasn't a winter wasteland. And Green Bay embraced him.

Reggie White, one of the NFL's fiercest players on the field and one of the most devoted humanitarians off it, died Sunday in Cornelius, N.C., his wife said. He was 43. The cause of death was not immediately known, but a family spokesman said White had suffered from a respiratory ailment for several years that affected his sleep. White died at Presbyterian Hospital, where he was taken after his wife called 911. An autopsy is planned.

* The line: Green Bay by 1 1/2. * Story line: While this may not be one of the better matchups on "Monday Night Football" this season, seeing Reggie White chase his old buddy Brett Favre is a good reason to watch. Both teams are playing for little more than pride as only the Packers have a slim chance at the postseason. Memories are about all that remain for two teams that played for the 1996 NFC championship. * Key matchups: Panther defensive end Reggie White vs. Packer tackle Mike Tauscher.

Reggie White, the NFL's career sacks leader, agreed in principle Friday with the Carolina Panthers to come out of retirement and play again this season. "We've got most of it worked out," White said outside of the Panthers' training camp facility at Spartanburg, S.C. "Hopefully it will all be done by Monday." White, 38, met with Panthers all day Friday. He passed a physical in Charlotte, N.C., then traveled the 80 miles to training camp for a workout and meeting with Coach George Seifert.

Reggie White is staying home and the Tennessee Titans are keeping their checkbook closed. A gap of about $500,000 between the Titans and the NFL's career sack leader is too wide to coax him out of retirement, Tennessee Coach Jeff Fisher said. "There's a lot of work to be done and the biggest hurdle is to at least get into the same range of numbers that would work for both sides," Fisher said in a story in The Tennessean on Tuesday. Jimmy Sexton, White's agent, had no comment.

Eight seconds remaining, one throw down the middle, and maybe it makes the difference between Steve Mariucci being fired or earning a pay raise, one more game for Reggie White or a dramatic halt to a Hall of Fame career, victory or defeat riding on where it lands.